Justin Steele Likely to Miss Next Start Due to ‘Very Minor Issue’ in Left Forearm

Whew. Anecdotal evidence pointed toward Justin Steele‘s forearm tightness being minor, but those issues are always scary until proven otherwise. The lefty underwent an MRI during the Cubs’ off-day Thursday and, while the team has not released anything official yet, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweeted that it’s a “very minor issue” that should only cost one start.

Source – Justin Steele likely to miss his next start.MRI showed ‘very minor issue’ with a tight forearm that forced him to leave his start Wednesday after three innings.

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) June 2, 2023

That would probably have been the series opener against the Angels in Anaheim, a game that will likely go to Hayden Wesneski unless the Cubs place Steele on the IL and call someone else up. Wesneski came on when Steele exited after three innings in Wednesday’s loss, pitching 3.2 innings of one-run ball in his first relief appearance as part of the organization. The plan had been to keep him in the bullpen, but he is still stretched out enough and obviously has experience in the rotation this season.

If this truly is a big nothingburger for Steele, it’s a huge win for a Cubs team that is amazingly within striking distance of both a division title and a Wild Card spot.